


You Should See the Other Guy

by Dandy



Category: Free!
Genre: Alternate Universe - Future Fish, Established Relationship, M/M, Mild Blood, Tumblr: imagineyourotp
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-08-22
Updated: 2014-08-22
Packaged: 2018-02-14 05:42:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,455
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2180124
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dandy/pseuds/Dandy
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Rin found himself looking up from where he was sprawled on the couch flipping through channels to see Rei dragging himself in, black eye, split lip, sleeve of his favorite shirt completely ripped off, glasses missing a lens.</p>
<p>"Holy shit. What happened to <i>you</i>?"</p>
            </blockquote>





	You Should See the Other Guy

**Author's Note:**

> Based on this imagineyourotp prompt:
> 
> http://imagineyourotp.tumblr.com/post/71436235441/imagine-person-a-coming-home-from-a-fight

Rin was no stranger to fights. He’d gotten into more than a few in his younger days, and even now, a grown man, he sometimes got into bar fights, tussles during arrests, and less-than-friendly training sessions at the precinct. Rei would always tut at him when he came home bruised or with a split lip, or scold him as he dragged him, kicking and screaming, out of a bar, but he always dutifully drew a bath for him and cleaned up his wounds.

So it threw Rin off when he found himself the one looking up from where he was sprawled on the couch flipping through channels to see Rei dragging himself in, black eye, split lip, sleeve of his favorite shirt completely ripped off, glasses missing a lens.

“Holy shit. What happened to _you_?” said Rin, putting his feet on the cushions and then jumping over the back of the couch in his haste to get to his bloodied boyfriend.

Rei frowned in disapproval and muttered, “You’re going to ruin the furniture doing that,” but let himself be tugged into Rin’s arms without resistance. He didn’t seem scared, or even particularly upset, just tired. Rin supposed that was a good sign.

“Don’t dodge the question,” he said, the way Rei did when Rin didn’t want to talk about something, and marveled again at how reversed their roles had suddenly become.

“Muggers. Two of them.” Rei gave his glasses a little push around Rin’s arm, somehow managing to look cocky despite his bruised face and bloody knuckles. “You should see the other guys, as they say.”

Rin didn’t feel as nonchalant as Rei looked. “Fuck,” he huffed, pulling Rei closer and burying his face in the other man’s hair. After a moment, Rei wrapped his arms around him back, and gave him a quick kiss on the neck.

“I’m fine, Rin, really,” he said, and Rin scowled. Rei was the one who looked like death warmed over and he was the one freaking out.

“What did you fight them for?” he demanded, voice tinged with more anger than he meant, not at Rei but at anyone would dare hurt him. 

“I like my wallet,” said Rei, sounding slightly offended. “It’s just the right color and size for all my things!”

Rin gave a laugh into his hair. “You idiot. We could have gotten you a new wallet.”

Rei gave a little shrug against him. “To be fair, I didn’t throw a punch until they found that picture I keep of us and started laughing at it.”

Rin shook his head, able to believe it but not wanting to. “Defending your honor, then?”

“Defending _yours_. _I’m_ too beautiful in that picture to laugh at.”

Rin laughed again and moved his head to kiss Rei full on the lips. Rei didn’t resist, just leaned in, moving a bit slowly to reciprocate. He was exhausted, Rin knew. He’d been there before.

“I think I’m just going to take a shower and go to bed,” said Rei when they broke apart, starting to pull out of Rin’s arms. Rin just held him tighter.

“Hey, slow down. I’ll take care of you, okay?”

Rei raised an eyebrow. “Not tonight, Rin.”

“Not like _that_.” Rin rolled his eyes and let go to take Rei’s hand instead. “I’m going to take care of you like you do me. I’ll be a perfect gentleman.”

Rei hesitated, then followed along, gripping Rin’s hand back. “That… sounds nice, actually.”

Rin led him to the bathroom, and told Rei to take off his clothes while he ran a bath. Once he was satisfied with the water temperature, he left it to fill while wetting a washcloth.

“I’m gonna clean some of the blood off, okay? Just relax.”

Rei did as he was told, sitting on the toilet while Rin gently swiped the washcloth over his various cuts and bruises. They were all minor, other than the black eye, Rin was glad to note. At least the muggers hadn’t pulled a knife on him, or at least hadn’t managed to stab him. Rei was fast, and strong. Rin guessed that neither of the muggers woke up early to exercise before work the way Rei did, or ran a few kilometers every night the way Rei did, or swam laps on the weekends the way Rei did.

He gently wiped the blood away from his knee, then his arms and elbows and hands, then moved up to his face, only pausing to stop the bathtub from overflowing. Rei gave an appreciative sigh, leaning his head back while Rin gently removed his glasses. 

“You’re lucky none of the glass went into your eye,” he said, setting them aside even though they were likely as good as useless now. He noticed that the frames were warped, too, like half of them had been crushed. 

“I was lucky. They fell off just before I got punched.” Rei opened his eyes to glance at them. “I stepped on them.”

He sounded more upset about that than he had about anything else tonight. Rin kissed his cheek. “You still have a spare pair, right? And we can go get some new ones for you tomorrow if you want.”

Rei gave another appreciative hum and let Rin administer to his eye. Rin was as gentle as possible, but Rei still cringed a little. It couldn’t be helped, Rin knew, but he still breathed apologies into Rei’s ear.

Once all the blood was cleaned off, he pulled Rei up and helped him into the bath, ignoring his boyfriend’s protest that he could handle it himself. Once Rei was settled, he rolled up the legs of his sweatpants and sat on the back of the tub with his feet and calves in the water, Rei nestled between them. Rin grabbed the fruity smelling bottle of shampoo Rei liked so much and squirted some into his hands. 

“You don’t have to wash my hair too,” Rei said, but Rin ignored him, wetting and then starting to lather Rei’s hair, massaging his scalp as he did so. 

“You’re not the only one who gets to do nice things, you know?” said Rin, playfully accusatory. “I can be nice, too.” He smiled as Rei gave a happy little moan and relaxed further into his hands.

“Okay. Fair enough.” 

Rin smiled and kept going. He kept up the massaging motions until Rei finally turned to putty in his hands, and then he rinsed his hair out. 

“You really scared me, walking in like that,” he finally admitted while Rei rubbed his arms off with a soapy washcloth. “I know you were already home before I saw you, but it just felt like you weren’t safe all of a sudden, and there wasn’t anything I could do about it.”

“How do you think I feel every time _you_ come in like that?” said Rei, looking at him pointedly, and Rin flinched.

“Okay, point taken. I’ll do better. I promise.” 

Rei’s face softened, and he gave Rin a tired but bright smile. Rin’s heart skipped two beats. Even with a split lip and a black eye, Rei was beautiful. 

Rin decided to tell him so, and then lean down and give him another long kiss. They stayed like that until both of their necks hurt from the position, and then Rei finished getting cleaned up and Rin wrapped him up in a fluffy towel.

Rei was a much better patient than Rin ever was, taking the peroxide to his cuts without flinching or complaint. Rin resolved that if he ever _did_ get in another fight (and he might as well face it, even with his promise to Rei it was likely), he wouldn’t give his boyfriend shit while he was just trying to take care of him.

Wounds finally cleaned and dressed, Rin led the tired Rei to their bedroom. Rei pulled on some boxers Rin handed him and collapsed into bed without touching the covers. Rin pulled them from under his legs and tucked him in, then stripped down to his own boxers and climbed in the other side. He wiggled up against Rei and pulled him into his chest for proper spooning.

Rei made that pleased humming noise again and wiggled back into him. “Does it always feel this nice when I take care of you?”

“Yeah,” said Rin, honestly, and smiled when Rei smiled.

“I like it.”

“Just don’t go getting mugged the next time you want me to do something like this,” said Rin disapprovingly, and Rei laughed.

“I won’t, don’t worry.” He kissed one of Rin’s hands. “I love you.”

“I love you too. Now go to sleep, idiot.”

A light snore told Rin he already had.


End file.
